Valerie Ervin’s SNAP Challenge

When strangers start acting like neighbors… communities are reinvigorated. ~ Ralph Nader This week was one of ups and downs, highs and lows but ultimately it was an amazing showing of people committed to building a community of people who are unafraid to show their empathy and determination to shine a light on poverty and […]

I was interviewed yesterday for the Segye Times, which is a Korean newspaper. The reporter was interested in the SNAP Challenge and couldn’t believe that in the U.S. there were people who go hungry every day. He was particularly interested in what I had to eat and wanted to take pictures of my lunch that […]

This week, February 2-8, 2013, Councilmember Valerie Ervin challenged Montgomery County residents and community leaders to join her in a challenge to live on a SNAP budget for a week. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, is a federal program that allows qualified individuals to purchase food to […]

If you were on a strict clothing budget, you wouldn’t go into Nordstrom Rack and pick up a pair of pants that don’t match anything else in your wardrobe. You probably wouldn’t even buy them if they went with just 1 or 2 items. No. In this scenario you want a pair of pants that […]

Today is day three of the SNAP the Silence Challenge and while it’s been difficult, I’m still holding strong. For me, one of the most interesting effects of this challenge is the way that my mind has begun to fixate on food. In the morning, I think about what I’m having for breakfast, lunch, and […]

I started my morning yesterday shopping for the week on $25. It was a lot harder to do than I originally thought. It was embarrassing for me to carefully choose all of my items and then proceed to the checkout stand only to find that I had overspent by almost $4. I know that in […]